The design for the new police station took approximately 18 months to complete. Photo courtesy of Belleville police
By Logan Somers [1]
BELLEVILLE – While the new Belleville police [2] station is still under construction, the city says it’s on target for its official opening in July.
Mayor Mitch Panciuk told QNet News Wednesday that the station at College and Sidney streets will definitely open on July 29.
The police department has been officially searching for 10 years for a new location for the station because, the department says, the current site [3] on Dundas Street East is too small.
Panciuk said the need for a new station [4] has been there even longer than that.
“I remember speaking with a former police chief who was here in the ’90s. He was talking about it being a 30-year project,” Panciuk said.
In 2016 a decision was made to build the new station at the 3.8-hectare site at 459 Sidney St.
Panciuk said among the reasons it took so long to get things moving were the need to find the right location and the money to build the new station.
The design for the station took about 18 months to complete, with input from community members and police officials.
The new station, which is 67,000 square feet, is more than double the size of the old one, which is 37,000 square foot.
Deputy Police Chief Mike Callaghan told QNet, “The new station will have a significant impact on having sufficient work space for the officers to conduct their duties and/or investigations.”
One new feature of the new station is a community boardroom that will be available for use by non-profit community organizations. The station will also house a forensic-evidence examination facility and a bigger area for the department’s canine unit.
Panciuk said the current station never met the needs of the Belleville police.
“There are a number of operational and security requirements in a police station. (The current station) was also too small, so we needed a larger space,” he said.
No decisions have been made yet about what will happen with the current station after the move.